The muscles surrounding the base of the penis, anus and prostate gland are known as the pubococcygeus muscles. Exercises of the pubococcygeus muscles were developed by Dr. Arnold Kegel in the mid-1940's to prepare women for the physiological stresses of the late stages of pregnancy and vaginal childbirth. It was later discovered that the exercises, when performed by men, provided significant benefits.
Typically, Kegel exercises are performed by an individual in private without a device that provides resistance. For men, exercising the pubococcygeus muscles can create harder and firmer erections, improve sexual performance, heighten orgasms, aid in reducing premature ejaculation, and improve prostate health. Additionally, there is evidence that exercising the pubococcygeus muscles may help prevent and treat urinary incontinence.
For men, Kegel exercises typically consist of a series of motions in which the individual squeezes and releases his pubococcygeus muscles. Dr. Kegel, in his research, however, also noted that adding resistance to these exercises further developed and strengthened the pubococcygeus muscles and could lead to more significant results.
Prior attempts at devices for providing resistance for Kegel exercises suffer from at least one of the following shortcomings: the devices are cumbersome and difficult to use, the devices pose a risk of injury to a user, the devices are intimidating, unattractive, and not designed for the mainstream consumer, the devices do not allow the user to provide assistance to himself during the workout, the devices are ineffective, or the devices are hard to clean and maintain.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved device and method for performing male Kegel exercises that remedy the shortcomings of the prior art.